Page 29 - HTE_Spring2021

the mansion
and took
everything
in. Rooms
with leather couches, shag carpet and
fabric on the
walls, a rac- quetball court,
and cemetery where Elvis
and members
of his family
are buried.
After you’ve
toured the
mansion you’ll
be taken back across the
street (by shuttle) where you’ll enter the museums. This is where you’ll see Elvis’ cars, military memorabilia, cos- tumes, and even his planes. It’s quite the experience.
After we finished perusing the museums we
enjoyed lunch at Vernon’s Smoke- house and did our best to absorb ev- erything we’d seen and experienced at Graceland.
The main thing we concluded was that Graceland
is absolutely worth the money and the hype if you are a massive Elvis fan. If you’re on the fence about him or a moderate fan like we are, it may be a little overwhelming.
We loved seeing all of the people so passionate about Elvis enjoying their time at Graceland. We liked seeing the furniture and cos- tumes and fancy cars. But at the end of our time we were left with a melancholy feeling.
Elvis had everything. He had a beautiful mansion, cars galore, millions of adoring fans. From the outisde he was living the dream. But that still wasn’t enough. He was sad. He gave more to others than they gave him in return. The beautiful life we saw took a toll on him and he was unable to see the light and joy that we as- sumed he had in abundance.
That said, we think he would be honored
at the millions of people who come through Graceland each year. So, as you walk through
these grand halls just remember that a person
built this and lived for this. Elvis was a person just like you and me. 25